VATICAN INFORMATION SERVICE
YEAR XXII - # 197
DATE 10-11-2014

Summary:
- Pope Francis receives the president of Ghana
- The Pope receives the bishops of Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde and
Guinea-Bissau: focus on the quality rather than the quality of priests
- The Pope deeply saddened by the traffic accident in Cartagena
- Angelus: by virtue of Baptism we are part of God's edifice
- "We need bridges, not walls", says Pope Francis on the 25th anniversary of
the fall of the Berlin Wall
- The seminary, training in fraternity, prayer and mission
- Witness the Salesian charism of encounter, says Francis to the Daughters of
Mary Help of Christians
- The Pope to the Adult Scouts Movement: respecting nature and eliminating
wastefulness
- Decrees of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints
- Audiences
- Other Pontifical Acts

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 Pope Francis receives the president of Ghana
 Vatican City, 10 November 2014 (VIS) - Today, in the Vatican Apostolic
Palace, the Holy Father Francis received in audience John Dramani Mahama,
president of the Republic of Ghana, who subsequently met with Cardinal
Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, accompanied by Archbishop Dominique
Mamberti, secretary for Relations with States.
 During the cordial discussions, the Parties noted the good relations between
the Holy See and Ghana and underlined the positive contribution offered by the
Catholic Church in the social, educational and healthcare spheres, as well as
in relation to the promotion of dialogue between different members of society.
Furthermore, mention was made of the promotion of the good of the family.
 Finally, attention turned to various current issues of an international
nature, and in particular the serious humanitarian crisis caused by the recent
epidemic of the Ebola virus in West Africa.

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 The Pope receives the bishops of Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde and
Guinea-Bissau: focus on the quality rather than the quality of priests
 Vatican City, 10 November 2014 (VIS) - The prelates of the Conference of
Bishops of Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde and Guinea-Bissau were received in
audience by the Holy Father this morning, at the end of their five-yearly "ad
Limina" visit. In the written discourse that he handed to them at the end of
the visit, the Pope writes that the bishops' visit to the See of Peter is "an
opportunity to strengthen the communion the particular Churches maintain with
the Church of Rome and with her bishop. However, it is also an opportunity to
strengthen the bonds of love between you ... and to experience collegiality.
This represents a great challenge for an episcopal conference that groups
together the bishops of four countries - Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde and
Guinea-Bissau - that are different in terms of language, geography, culture
and history, but which nonetheless feel the need to be united and to support
each other in their ministry".
 "Among the challenges you face, there is that of rooting faith more deeply in
hearts so that it is put into practice in life. This is particularly true in
areas experiencing first evangelisation, but it also applies where the Gospel
has been announced a long time ago, as faith is a gift that must always be
strengthened and which is under threat in many ways nowadays, owing to other
religious proposals that prove easier and more attractive from a moral point
of view, and as a result of the phenomenon of the secularisation that affects
African societies".
 Therefore, "it is useful for laypeople to receive a solid doctrinal and
spiritual formation, and continual support so that they are able to become
witnesses of Christ in all areas of their lives, and to imbue society with the
principles of the Gospel, avoiding the marginalisation of faith in public
life. The pastoral care of families, as shown in the recent Synod of Bishops,
must receive special attention since the family ... is the place where the
foundations of faith are laid, where the basic principles of community life
are learned, and frequently where the priestly and religious vocations are
nurtured - vocations your Churches need".
 "Priestly formation is decisive for the future", writes Francis. "Your
countries experience very different situations, but the primacy of quality
above quantity is always important. I invite you to be close to your priests,
especially those who are young, to ensure that after their ordination they
continue their formation, persevere in their life of prayer, and are able to
count on a spiritual guide, so that they are able to meet the challenges
presented to them: for some, this means a certain isolation, for others,
material poverty and the lack of resources, or worldly attractions. Contact
with other religions is an important issue in many of your dioceses where
there is an Islamic majority, in terms of mutual relations between different
communities. I believe that it is important for the clergy to receive a
formation to establish a constructive dialogue with Muslims, a dialogue that
is increasingly necessary for peaceful coexistence. If we all, believers in
God, wish to contribute to reconciliation, justice and peace, we need to work
together to prevent all forms of discrimination, intolerance and religious
fundamentalism".
 "More generally, it seems to me that it is important not to hesitate in
occupying all the space that is yours in civil society. I know that you work
tirelessly, in particular in Senegal and Guinea-Bissau, for peace and
reconciliation, and for this I rejoice. I urge you to maintain good relations
with the political authorities in order to promote the official 
cknowledgement of Church structures, which will be of great help in
facilitating evangelisation. Some of you, such as the bishops of Cape Verde,
already benefit from the existence of a framework agreement between the State
and the Holy See. Even where the Church is in a minority, or is completely at
the margins of civil life, she is appreciated and recognised for her important
contribution in the fields of human development, healthcare and education. I
thank you for what you achieve in your dioceses, often due to the efforts of
many religious congregations and laypeople".
 "Dear brothers", the Pontiff concludes, "some of your Churches are small and
fragile, but they are courageous and generous in the proclamation of faith and
you are witnesses to their dynamism. I offer thanks to God for the wonders He
performs through you, and likewise I thank again those who participate in our
common task of evangelisation".

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 The Pope deeply saddened by the traffic accident in Cartagena
 Vatican City, 10 November 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father sent a telegram to
Bishop Jose Manuel Lorca Planes of Cartagena, Spain, upon hearing of the news
of a serious road accident in the city of Cieza that has claimed many victims,
including the young priest of Bullas, Rev. Fr. Miguel Conesa Andujar. Pope
Francis, deeply saddened, raises fervent prayers to God for the eternal repose
of the souls of the departed, for the full recovery of the injured, and for
the consolation of those who have lost their loved ones.
 "I urge the sons and daughters of these noble lands to find in faith the
encouragement and the strength of spirit to overcome these painful
circumstances, and impart to them the comfort of my apostolic blessing, as a
sign of hope in the risen Christ", he writes.

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 Angelus: by virtue of Baptism we are part of God's edifice
 Vatican City, 9 November 2014 (VIS) - At midday the Holy Father appeared at
the window of his study to pray the Angelus with the faithful gathered in St.
Peter's Square, explaining that today's liturgy recalls the dedication of the
Basilica of St. John Lateran, the Cathedral of Rome, traditionally defined as
the "mother of all the churches in the city and in the world".
 "The term 'mother' refers not only to the sacred building of the Basilica,
but also to the work of the Holy Spirit, made manifest in this building and
fruitful through the ministry of the Bishop of Rome, in all the communities in
unity with the Church over whom He presides", he explained. "Every time we
celebrate the dedication of a church, an essential truth is recalled to us:
the material temple made of bricks is a sign of the living Church at work in
history, that 'spiritual temple' ... of which Christ Himself is 'a living
stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight'".
 In the Gospel of today's liturgy, Jesus speaks about the "temple", revealing
a surprising truth: the temple of God is not merely the edifice built of
bricks, but it is His body, made up of living stones. "By virtue of Baptism,
every Christian forms part of God's edifice, or rather, becomes the God's
Church. The spiritual edifice, the Church that is the community of men and
women sanctified by Christ's blood and the Spirit of the Risen Lord, asks each
one of us to be consistent with the gift of faith and to take the path of
Christian witness. ... The Church, at the origin of her life and her mission
in the world, was none other than a community constituted to confess faith in
Jesus Christ, Son of God and Redeemer of humanity, a faith that works through
charity. ... Today, too, the Church is required to take her place in the world
as a community that, rooted in Christ through Baptism, professes faith in Him
with humility and courage, bearing witness to it through charity. In the same
way, institutional elements, structures and pastoral entities must be ordered
in accordance with this essential objective".
 "Today's celebration invites us to reflect on the communion of all the
Churches, of this Christian community, and by analogy, it stimulates us to
make efforts to enable humanity to overcome the barriers of enmity and
indifference, to build bridges of understanding and dialogue, to make the
entire world into a family of peoples, reconciled among themselves, fraternal
and in solidarity".

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 "We need bridges, not walls", says Pope Francis on the 25th anniversary of
the fall of the Berlin Wall
 Vatican City, 9 November 2014 (VIS) - After praying the Angelus, the Pope
commented that 25 years ago today, on 8 November 1989, saw the fall of the
Berlin Wall "which had long divided the city in two and was a symbol of the
ideological division of Europe and the entire world. It took place suddenly,
but it had been made possible by the long and tireless efforts of many people
who fought, prayed and suffered for it; some of them even sacrificed their
lives". Among these people, St. John Paul II played a central role. Let us
pray that, with the Lord's help and the collaboration of all persons of good
will, a culture of encounter may become ever more widespread, able to bring
down all the walls that continue to divide the world; and that innocent people
will never more be persecuted and even killed for their beliefs and their
religion. Where there is a wall, there is a closed heart. We need bridges, not
walls!"
 He added that today Italy holds a day of thanksgiving, the theme of which
this year is "Feed the planet, energy for life", and the Holy Father joined
with the bishops in expressing his hope that renewed efforts might ensure
"that no-one lacks the daily sustenance that God gives to all". He added, "I
assure my closeness to the world of agriculture, and urge you to cultivate the
land in a sustainable and fair way. In this context, the Diocese of Rome is
holding a day for the protection of the creation, the aim of which is to
promote lifestyles based on respect for the environment, reaffirming the
alliance between human beings, guardians of creation, and the Creator".

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 The seminary, training in fraternity, prayer and mission
 Vatican City, 10 November 2014 (VIS) - In the evening of Saturday 8 November
Pope Francis sent a message to the 750 French seminarians gathered at the
Marian shrine at Lourdes, France from 8 to 10 November, for the autumn Plenary
Assembly of the Episcopal Conference of France. In the text, the Pope urges
them to remember the three key words in their lives as seminarians:
fraternity, prayer and mission.
 In relation to fraternity, he emphasises that "the priestly mission cannot in
any case be individual, and certainly not individualistic"; instead, together
they should "bear witness to the love with which we recognise Jesus'
disciples". With regard to prayer, he remarks that "everything that you learn
comes to life in prayer", and recalls that Jesus Himself retired in silence
and solitude to immerse himself in the mystery of His Father. "May your prayer
be an appeal to the Spirit, Who builds the Church, leads the disciples and
infuses with pastoral charity. ... At the foundation of your formation there
is the Word of God, that enters you, nourishes you, and enlightens you", he
writes, urging the seminarians to dedicate long periods each day to prayer,
since "it is in prayer that you encounter the loving presence of the Lord and
allow yourselves to be transformed by Him".

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 * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)